West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-04-08

anC SOCitt Sl Sttiu uPOh oiAS "ooSS
of the people and upon the indus
trial millions, will have disappeared
and VIC shall remain in the history
of mankind to point a moral and
adorn q tale"
General Jackson was no less en-
phatic in his denunciation of over
taxation and said that there should
be no surplus but that the money
should remain in the pockets of the
people where it belonged.
Thomas Jefferson desired Con-
stitutional amendment to protect the
people against the encroachment of
monopoly and recommended wise
and frugal government that should
not take from the mouth Of labor
the bread it has earned"
What should Jackson or Jefferson
have thought OF q government tnat
overtaxed the people to the amount
of $125,000,000 annually? Yet the
Camden-Davis policy is, to continue
this overtaxation. So far as know,
there are no "Free- traders" in West
Virginia-certainly am not one
bu. / do desire the doctrine Of the
National Democratic Platform car
ried out by q reduction of the sur
plus revenue.
Mr.. Davis farther tells us that we
are indebted to Mr.. Camden tor the
Long and Short Haul Amendment to
the Interstate Act. | should like to
ask Mr.. Davis one or two questions
which no doubt his acquaintance
with the history of Congressional
legislation will enable him TO an
swer. Did no. the Reagan bill con-
tain similar provision? Did not
Mr.. Camden vote against that bill?
Did he not prefer the Cullom bill?
Now shat the Commissioners have
been appointed, not one of whom re-
sides between the Ohio river and
the Chesapeake bay, will Dir. Davis
deny that the Reagan bill was in the
interest of West Virginia, and that
the present law will afford her very
inefficient relief? Will he deny that
he and Mr.. Camden for the past tif-
teen years have persistently and UNI
remitingly opposed every principle
Of the Interstate Commerce bill
when we sought to apply them to
our own State by appropriate legis-
lation? Does he suppose that our
people are so credulous and simple
minded as not to recognize and re-
member that the very cry which he
now raises, that capital is timid
and cautions and will not go where
legislation is unfriendly," has been
the plea whereby the Camden-Davis
dynasty has defeated all legislation
intended to relieve agriculture, labor,
manufacturers and commerce from
the ruinous determinations prac-
ticed by the trunk line railways
against the shippers of West Vir-
ginia? And what has been the eff
feet of this discrimination thus en-
couraged and fostered by the Cam
den-Davis dynasty? | beg leave to
submit to the people Of this State.
without regard to party, few facts
in answer to this question. Mr.
Davis boasts that Mr.. Camden has
brought two or three millions of dol.
lars into the State which have been
invested in railroads and scattered
it among the people, not only devel'
~oping the State and its resources
but helping to pay the taxes" Is
Mr.. Davis aware that notwithstand-
inc this immence accession of wealth
from railroad enterprise, the unjust
travel and freight tax imposed upon
our people by the encouragement
/ and connivance of the Camden-Davis
dynasty diminished the real and az.
gregate personal property of this
State ten millions of dollars in seven
years. If Mr.. Davis is ignorant Of
this fact, / beg leave to call his at
( tention to the following extract from
| the last annual message of Governor
Jackson rs follows:
I I'm my last message l called the
attention of the Legislature to the
fact that taxable values of this State
have not increased in proportion tc
population showing loss of $lO,'
100000 in the aggregate value Of
both kinds of property in seven
years and this, too, whilst our pop
ulation is rapidly increasing and Of
consequence adding largely to oui
wealth"
What becomes now of Mr.. Davis